It's no surprise Masahiro Tanaka picks Yankees

Cubs and White Sox evidently never were serious financial players as bids relied on intangible factors

January 22, 2014|Paul Sullivan

Masahiro Tanaka's decision to sign a seven-year, $155 million deal to pitch for the Yankees was no surprise to the Cubs or White Sox, who knew what they were getting into when they tossed their wool caps into the ring.

But the free agent's choice was a bigger disappointment for the Cubs, who were hoping to convince the 25-year-old Japanese starter he would be the centerpiece of an organization on the rise rather than just another star in the Yankees' galaxy.

Sox general manager Rick Hahn said the market for Tanaka "took it to a level we weren't comfortable going to in terms of the commitment and the cost."

The Cubs had no comment.

So is Tanaka the next Yu Darvish — the Japanese ace who thus far has lived up to his hype with the Rangers — or the next Daisuke Matsuzaka, on whom Cubs President Theo Epstein spent $103.1 million in 2006, including a $51.1 million posting bid just to secure negotiating rights for the Red Sox?

Matsuzaka threw eight pitches, and had a unique pitching motion that Sports Illustrated compared to "an elegant haiku." But he turned out to be more of a bawdy limerick than an elegant haiku, starting out strong but going 53-40 with a 4.52 ERA over six seasons in an injury-plagued career that found him with Mets last season.

How much the Sox and Cubs bid for Tanaka was unknown. Hahn made mention of the "seriousness and magnitude" of the Sox offer, but they weren't in the same league as the Yankees, and weren't prepared to make an "unprecedented" commitment to a pitcher.

A major league source said the Cubs "weren't that close" in the end, and added the "runaway" narrative on Twitter that they would "out-bid" anyone was false speculation from the outset.

The Ricketts' family may have the financial resources, but the baseball operations department simply didn't have it in its budget now. In essence, the Cubs were counting on winning over Tanaka with the same basic pitch they used to lure in Epstein, namely a chance at attaining baseball immortality by helping end the infamous 105-year-old drought.

Cubs' brass, including Chairman Tom Ricketts, met with Tanaka during his recent stay in Beverly Hills, Calif., and gave a presentation that included a video singing Chicago's praises, showcasing a sports-crazed city where the summers are beautiful, the architecture's stunning, the restaurants are world class and the people are friendly.

White Sox Chairman Jerry Reinsdorf left the work to his front office. The Sox presentation also stressed the city, along with the reputations of pitching coach Don Cooper and trainer Herm Schneider.

Once they put in their bids, all the Sox and Cubs could do is hope Tanaka was the sentimental type.

Perhaps he is, but in this case he chose the team that gave him the fifth-highest contract for a major league pitcher, an out clause after four years and a good chance of winning right away.

Hahn said the contract didn't shock him. But one major league executive termed it "insane" while suggesting Tanaka's lack of major league experience doesn't merit a contract on par with a proven star such as the Mariners' Felix Hernandez, who will earn $175 million over seven years.

The change in Japanese posting fees rules — a maximum $20 million to enter the bidding — was supposed to give more teams a shot. But the feeling was the rich got richer, and that only big market teams with lucrative local TV deals are able to compete in a bidding process at this level.

The Cubs are like a big market team in name only right now. Their projected 2014 roster figures to wind up at between $62-$65 million, and the $13 million they will be paying Alfonso Soriano to play for the Yankees is $2 million more than the salary of their highest-paid player, Edwin Jackson.